What's ours
by DustyDreamer
Summary: Scorpius realises you sometimes need to be careful about what you care about. Please R


A/N: Inspired by the song 'Ours' by Taylor Swift and written for the 'Taylor Swift' Challenge at the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges forum.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything else from the Harry Potter universe.

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Monday mornings were always the worst: it was practically a rule for anyone who had anything to do on a Monday. Scorpius Malfoy stormed through the dungeons of Hogwarts, heading in the general direction of the Slytherin common room, but his temper outran his train of thought and he was sure he'd past his destination twice already. His anger at himself for making so stupid a mistake dropped on him heavily, and it was with much restraint that he had to prevent his hand from slapping him in the face. He saw the entrance up ahead, and his heart sped faster as he saw the small crowd of younger Slytherins gathering outside like a pretentious swarm of flies.

'Oi, Scorpius!' shouted a dark haired boy whom Scorpius recognised instantly as the one who'd turned his friend's homework into a biting pile of paper snowflakes.

'Yes Markus?' Scorpius replied, walking past the boy as he spoke.

'What's the deal with you and puff-haired girl?'

Scorpius knew in that instant his mistake would be biting him in the ass later.

'Leave it.' He tried keeping his voice low as the blood began rushing past his cheeks and highlighting his near-white ears with a ruby glow.

Scorpius barged through the open door and made sure to slam it shut behind him. It caught his eye immediately and he knew why the others had been quick to spot it (he had only left the common room less than ten minutes ago). The purple loopy writing stood out on the pearly parchment. It was a lover's secret summons.

_Scorpius, _

_Meet me tonight by the clock tower after hours. _

_Love Rose xxx_

He stared at the words now as though each trickled a more embarrassed twinge down his throat than the last. What had she been thinking sending this to him where she knew he'd be surrounded? The girl might as well have run round the castle calling his name out. It wasn't that he was embarrassed to be with Rose, because he did like her, he liked her a lot at that.

But the idea of a previously taboo relationship becoming the most talked about gossip in the castle was a highly nerve-wracking prospect. Scorpius was brave, but not in the socially invincible kind of way, because one thing he hated about himself was that he did care what people thought of him. It was an unshakeable feeling that fell on his shoulders, whenever he heard whispers his ears burned in case they were directed at him.

Rose was different; he'd noted that from the start. She simply didn't care what people thought of her, not in an obnoxious manner, she just did her own thing.

With a final check round the common room to make sure there was no one else who could have seen the note, he stashed it in his robes and headed off for potions.

That was another thing about Mondays, magic was never quite awake, or at least the student who cast it wasn't. It was double potions and they were attempting the draught of living death: Scorpius remembered his father teaching him this potion during summer. His father had seemed somewhat determined that Scorpius should master the right technique for it before school came around. Secretly, Scorpius suspected his father had been rubbish at making the draught in his school days and wanted to use Scorpius to compensate for it.

Rose already had her hand in the air when he entered the room and he was sure she'd had it up at least a dozen times since then: always one to show-off.

He didn't look up at her much at all, yet had the feeling she kept trying to catch his attention. It didn't even trouble his conscience that he was blatantly ignoring her, the way he saw things it was her fault anyway. She knew him better than anyone; surely she should have known not to embarrass him like that.

'Psst,' he heard Rose whisper over to him from the end of the lesson, 'Scorpius?' He looked at her now and tried to use his eyes to tell her he wasn't in the mood to talk. She didn't take the hint.

'Scorpius wait for me afterwards, we have the same free period today, Neville's out of the castle.' He would have been free until lunch, whilst Rose would've had herbology followed by ancient runes.

'I'm busy.' Was all he replied, and when the bell went he practically sprinted out of the classroom.

It wasn't long before the familiar click-clack of her small heels began to follow him up the stairs.

'Scorpius, what the hell?' she said in between drawing fervent breaths as she tried to maintain his speed. 'What's got into you?'

He could have easily outrun her, he was almost six foot and she barely past five, meaning her feet took 4 steps to every long stride of his.

'Not here Rose.' Again he shunned her attempts to talk, and it was only when they arrived in the entrance hall, and after a glance around that he pulled Rose into a small broom cupboard. Her eyes were wide and her eyebrows pulled down into a furrow.

'Are you stupid Rose? Why'd you have to go and send me that letter? Now everyone thinks there's something going on with us!' Fuming he loomed over her in the dark space, her face was all he could see, lighted by a slit where the door opened just-so.

'I can't do this.' Scorpius sighed, rubbing his temple.

'I don't get it, what's the big deal, it's not as though I'm going round telling people Scorp.'

'No but your making out like it wouldn't be bad if people found out. I don't have the same reputation you do Rose, and it's not right for us to be together.'

In less than time than it took for Scorpius to blink, Rose's expression shifted from angry to confused, to something Scorpius couldn't recognise. Upon reflection he realised he'd hurt her.

Rose bluntly said, 'You're embarrassed to be with me, aren't you?'

She left him straight away, and from the sound of her footsteps he knew she would be running back up to the Gryffindor tower. Scorpius, left alone and feeling slightly ashamed, ventured out of the dark. There wasn't really anyone about, so he sat on the steps to think.

He wasn't embarrassed to _be_ with Rose at all, he was simply embarrassed by what people would say. Unlike his father, Scorpius had never been one for attention. He generally liked to keep to himself.

Some people thought him brooding, some thought his socially inept. Really he was just a teenager trying to find his place. Scorpius sat on the stone steps, running his fingers over the jagged edges, and tracing circles on the stone.

His father had given him but two pieces of advice before he'd started school, the first he'd lived by every day since he started.

'_Don't be afraid to do what's right son.' _Draco's words rang with a philosophical tone that one only gained from first hand experience_._

And his father had been right. Things were so much easier when you weren't arguing with yourself over what to do.

This was different though, for Scorpius wasn't in opposition with himself, more with everyone else.

The second wasn't in Scorpius's nature to follow.

'_You're not living for anyone else son, do what's right by yourself and let them think what they will.'_

But as he pictured Rose's face, and thought of how much he cared for her, only one thing came to hid mind. Scorpius knew what the right thing to do was.

...

It was getting dark and the early winter sun had set hours ago.

Rose waited underneath the stars, the clock tower chiming 9 times above her head. It was by the light of the moon that she first saw him. Scorpius walked over slowly, not taking his eyes off of her, his wand swaying in his right hand as he moved.

'Scorp, what's this about? I think you've made yourself pretty clear.'

He took her hand in his. 'No Rose I haven't. I've made it clear who I want everyone else to see me as, but that's not me Rose, you know that.'

She tilted her head, her skin glowing in the moonlight and Scorpius couldn't help gazing because she really was just so beautiful.

'Then what do you want to do about us now? Go back to normal? Sneak around after hours? Sending secret owls?' She shook her head, her eyes growing sad. 'Because if that's all you see us ever being then I think we should just end this now,' Scorpius could tell she didn't want to say anything she was saying, it seemed to just float out of her mouth: an already pre-planned script.

'Rose, I'm scared of what people think and I can't help that. But with you, all I can imagine anyone feeling is jealousy, of what we have. And I'm not ready to lose you over something as stupid as a shallow fault of my own.'

Scorpius lifted his wand high and a beam of light shot up into the sky, contrasting pearly clouds against a black sky dotted with diamond stars.

As they looked up they saw a hundred pale faces pressed up against windows, all looking to see the source of the sudden white light.

Rose, lips parted and staring at Scorpius, could only wordlessly mouth 'why?' to him.

Scorpius pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and laying a gentle kiss upon her lips.

'I love you Rose, you shine so bright to me and I couldn't find any other reason to not tell people other than you're simply too good for me and I know they'd tell me so.'

Rose's cheeks shone with tears, she smiled at Scorpius, and tiptoed herself up to kiss him again. 'Let them think what they like Scorpius. Nothing's easy…but I don't care as long as I have you.'

'It not about them anyway Rose… this is me and you.'

His magic seemed to resonate as the light grew brighter and brighter, compelling the watchers to shield their eyes and turn suddenly from the windows.

'This love is ours.' Scorpius whispered feeling like it was the last time he'd care what people said about them, and somehow he knew it was.


End file.
